Crocked? Hit the deck

Rehab from injury is torture. The process comes with both mental and physical hurdles: there’s nothing more unsettling than putting a dodgy limb to the test in training when you’re not quite sure if it’s ready.

Hats off, then, to the SAQ Aerofloor, a crafty piece of tech that is working wonders to calm such uneasiness.

More after the break

Billed as ‘high performance sports flooring’, it absorbs and returns the energy your limbs deliver when you hop, skip or jump on it, negating jarring impacts.

“I felt there was a gap in rehab,” says physio Pete Friar, who worked at Sunderland for seven years and developed the product.

“Players with cruciate ligament injuries do water-based work, but once they’re on dry land, options are limited. And those with joint compromise – the Ledley Kings of this world – get bored in the pool.”

The Aerofloor plugs the rehab gap. “You can train really hard on it without fear of injury, run on it with ankle problems. It works your heart and lungs really hard without punishing your legs. You can regain confidence after an injury before training properly.”

Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton are all dedicated users, with United physio John Davin saying it has “proved invaluable, especially in our joint compromised athletes, to instil confidence”.
Home versions are available from £300. Find out more at www.saqaerofloor.com